Researchers studied 236 children with cough variant asthma—a type of asthma that mainly causes coughing—to see if a combination of ear acupressure and a natural supplement called ferulic acid could help. Kids who received this combined treatment showed bigger improvements in their cough symptoms, breathing ability, and overall quality of life compared to kids who received standard care alone. While these results are promising, the researchers note that more rigorous testing is needed to confirm whether this approach truly works better than traditional treatments.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether combining ear acupressure (a traditional Chinese medicine technique) with a natural supplement called ferulic acid could reduce coughing and improve breathing in children with cough variant asthma
  • Who participated: 236 children diagnosed with cough variant asthma treated at a hospital in Shanghai, China between April 2022 and November 2024. Some children received the combined treatment while others received standard care only
  • Key finding: Children who received ear acupressure plus ferulic acid supplement showed significantly greater improvement in cough symptoms at 3, 6, and 12 months compared to the standard care group. They also showed better lung function and reported better quality of life
  • What it means for you: This research suggests that combining ear acupressure with ferulic acid supplementation may help reduce chronic coughing in children with this type of asthma. However, this was an observational study looking back at medical records, so more rigorous testing is needed before doctors can confidently recommend it as a standard treatment

The Research Details

This was a retrospective cohort study, which means researchers looked back at medical records of children who had already been treated. They reviewed records from 236 children with cough variant asthma seen at a hospital in Shanghai between April 2022 and November 2024. The children were divided into two groups: one group received ear acupressure (a technique where pressure is applied to specific points on the ear) combined with ferulic acid supplement, while the other group received only standard asthma care.

The researchers measured how much the children’s coughing improved using a cough severity scale, checked their lung function with breathing tests, and asked families about the children’s quality of life using a standard questionnaire. They tracked these measurements at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after treatment started.

This type of study is useful for exploring whether a treatment might work, but it has limitations because researchers weren’t controlling all the factors that might affect the results, and they were looking at what already happened rather than planning the study in advance.

This research approach matters because cough variant asthma is a common problem in children that can significantly affect their daily activities and sleep. By looking at real-world treatment outcomes, researchers can identify promising approaches worth studying more carefully. However, because this study looked backward at existing records rather than randomly assigning children to treatments, the results need confirmation through more rigorous testing before changing standard medical practice

This study has both strengths and weaknesses. The strength is that it included a reasonably large number of children (236) and tracked them for a full year. However, because it was observational and retrospective, there could be bias in which children received which treatment, and researchers couldn’t control for other factors that might have influenced the results. The study doesn’t tell us whether the improvements were due to the specific treatments or other factors like natural improvement over time, placebo effect, or better attention from healthcare providers

What the Results Show

Children in the treatment group (receiving ear acupressure plus ferulic acid) showed significantly greater reductions in cough severity compared to the control group at all three time points measured: 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. This means the coughing got better faster and more substantially in the treatment group.

The treatment group also showed more pronounced improvements in lung function tests, specifically in measurements called FEV1 and FVC, which indicate how much air children can breathe in and out. These improvements were statistically significant, meaning they were unlikely to have happened by chance.

Beyond just coughing and breathing, children in the treatment group reported better quality of life scores on a standard questionnaire designed for children with asthma. This suggests they were able to participate in more activities, sleep better, and experience fewer limitations from their condition.

All of these improvements appeared to build over time, with greater benefits visible at 6 and 12 months compared to the 3-month mark, suggesting the treatment may have cumulative effects.

The study found that quality-of-life improvements were particularly notable, suggesting that the treatment combination may help children return to normal activities more effectively than standard care alone. The consistent improvements across multiple measures—cough severity, lung function, and quality of life—suggest the treatment may work through multiple pathways rather than just one mechanism

Cough variant asthma is increasingly recognized as a significant form of asthma in children, and traditional treatments often focus on inhaled medications. This study adds to growing interest in complementary approaches, particularly from traditional Chinese medicine. However, most previous research on ferulic acid has focused on its antioxidant properties in laboratory or animal studies rather than clinical outcomes in children. The combination of ear acupressure with nutritional supplementation is relatively novel in pediatric asthma research, so this study represents an early exploration of this integrated approach

This study has several important limitations. First, it was observational and retrospective, meaning researchers looked back at what already happened rather than planning the study in advance and randomly assigning children to treatments. This makes it impossible to know whether the improvements were truly caused by the treatment or by other factors. Second, there’s no way to know if the two groups were similar in important ways before treatment started—children receiving the combination treatment might have been more motivated or had milder disease to begin with. Third, there’s no placebo control, so we can’t separate the real effects of the treatment from the psychological benefit of receiving special attention. Finally, the study was conducted at a single hospital in China, so results might not apply to children in other countries or healthcare settings

The Bottom Line

Based on this study alone, we cannot recommend ear acupressure with ferulic acid supplementation as a standard treatment for cough variant asthma in children. The findings are interesting and suggest this approach may be worth studying further, but the study design doesn’t provide strong enough evidence for routine clinical use. If you’re interested in exploring this approach, discuss it with your child’s doctor first, and it should only be used alongside—not instead of—standard asthma medications prescribed by a healthcare provider. Confidence level: Low to Moderate (this is preliminary evidence)

Parents of children with cough variant asthma who are looking for additional ways to manage their child’s symptoms may find this research interesting. Healthcare providers interested in complementary medicine approaches should note this research as a starting point for further investigation. Children with persistent coughing from asthma despite standard treatment might benefit from discussing this approach with their doctor. However, this research should not influence treatment decisions for children with severe asthma or those not responding to standard medications—they need conventional medical care

In this study, children showed measurable improvements in cough severity within 3 months, with greater improvements by 6 months and continuing benefits at 12 months. If similar results occur in future studies, families should expect to wait at least 3 months to see meaningful improvements and up to 6-12 months for maximum benefit

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily cough frequency and severity using a simple 1-10 scale, noting time of day and any triggers. Also record sleep quality (how many nights per week the child slept well without cough interruptions) and activity level (how many days per week the child could participate in normal activities without cough limitations)
  • If exploring this approach with medical approval, users could set reminders for consistent ferulic acid supplementation timing and schedule regular ear acupressure sessions. The app could help maintain consistency, which appears important based on the study’s timeline of benefits
  • Establish a baseline measurement of cough severity and quality of life before starting any new treatment. Then track weekly for the first month, then monthly for 6-12 months. Compare measurements at 3-month intervals to see if improvements are occurring. Share this data with the child’s doctor to help evaluate whether the approach is working

This research is preliminary and observational in nature. It should not be used to replace standard medical care or prescribed asthma medications for children. Before considering ear acupressure or ferulic acid supplementation for your child, consult with your pediatrician or asthma specialist. This is especially important if your child has severe asthma, is not responding to current treatments, or has other medical conditions. Ferulic acid supplements may interact with certain medications. The findings from this single study are not sufficient to establish standard clinical recommendations and require confirmation through more rigorous research before widespread adoption